Who is the most charismatic, powerful, impressive person you have ever met? Someone whose character draws you to them and has such an influence on you that you would go to great lengths and sacrifices to do what they ask?
If you were to ask someone in the church from 1830-1844, they probably would have given the answer “Joseph Smith”. Even among critics of the church, it is widely held that he was one of the most charismatic persons of his day. This is something that will never stop fascinating me..
From the bottom of page 273:
The Prophet had the power to impress in a remarkable manner all who approached him. There was something about him which went to their hearts. This was particularly the case with brethren when receiving from him their appointments to go forth and preach the Gospel. The inspiration that flowed from him possessed their souls and his words penetrated to the innermost recesses of their being. They loved him, and believed in him, and were ready to do whatever he directed for the furtherance of the work of God. He filled them with the power of his presence, and thrilled them with the testimony of his prophetic mission. There are many people in the world who possess an extraordinary spirit of friendship and warmth that everyone feels who meets them. I have met many such men, but never yet have I met another person in whose company I felt the peculiar and powerful influence that I felt while in the presence of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was due to the great portion of the Spirit of God that he possessed, merely the shake of his hand would cause a person to become filled with this influence, and any sensitive nature would know that he was shaking the hand of an extraordinary person.
This is neat. You can really tell from this paragraph how enamored Lorenzo Snow was with Joseph Smith. I’m not sure you can read this and not have at least some desire to also meet Joseph Smith, to see if he really did have that peculiar and powerful influence. Thoughts? I, for one, wish I could have met Joseph Smith. I remember a dream I had about 8 years ago when I saw Joseph Smith preaching in the woods. His hair was gray, and he had elegant posture and a bright countenance. As I reflect on it now it feels to me that I was dreaming of Joseph preaching to people in the spirit world. I remember waking up feeling happy.
There are some passages in this chapter that try to bring Joseph Smith down to Earth, passages where he plays ball with the boys and wrestles and rough houses. However, the amount of passages that bring out the spiritual qualities that Joseph Smith had seem to be more abundant. I think they are special, so let’s read the 2 paragraphs before the one we just read:
Toward the latter part of his life Joseph Smith became a master of strength and influence over his fellows. This fact was brought very vividly to my attention on my return from a mission to Europe. I noticed and even remarked to him that he had changed very much since I last saw him; that he had become stronger and more powerful. He admitted this and said that the Lord had endowed him with additional portions of His Spirit.
One day he called the brethren of the Twelve Apostles together and other prominent Elders of the Church to appoint them to their several labors and missions. Each sat and waited with much anxiety to hear the word of the Prophet concerning his future duties. They felt that they were in the presence of a superior being. While in Kirtland the Prophet did not seem to possess that strength and power, … but in later years he had become so strong in the power of the Lord that the people felt it. It was so on this occasion. The Elders realized his superior strength. “Brother Brigham,” he said, “I want you to go east and attend to the affairs of the Church in the Eastern States, and Brother Kimball may accompany you.” Turning to another he said, “You turn your attention to the publication of our paper,” and thus appointed each one to his special mission; all accepting his word as the mind of the Lord. …
Thoughts? The way Lorenzo Snow describes him is very God-like. A “superior-being”, so strong in the power of God people felt it. I have never heard anything like what Lorenzo Snow said about him having a power in Nauvoo that he didn’t have in Kirtland. The idea of him gaining experience points and “leveling up” 1 or 2 is fun, and it reminds me of the scripture that talks about how Jesus developed: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:52).
Can any of you relate to this on a personal level, where you feel like there was a time when you or someone else experienced noticeable spiritual growth?
For some more fun stuff on Joseph Smith, let’s read another passage that expresses his “supernatural” powers.
Page 270
I attended … meetings in the Temple regularly and heard the Prophet discourse upon the grandest of subjects. At times he was filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking as with the voice of an arch-angel and filled with the power of God, his whole person shone and his face was lightened. …
At times he spoke lightly, and at other times he explained the mysteries of the kingdom. The change was so noticeable that it seemed he was elevated into heaven while addressing the people who were on the earth, and then returned again to more familiar themes. …
Some more pretty powerful stuff. Joseph again sounds like an amazing person to have been around. This passage is interesting to me because when I read it I am reminded of times when I have felt the spirit. It doesn’t matter who was talking or what was happening, but in those moments I felt somewhat like I was “elevated into heaven”. So as I read this account it rings true to me, and I suspect that what Lorenzo snow is saying in his own way is that Joseph frequently spoke with the spirit.
Do any of you have experiences where, similar to what Lorenzo Snow describes, you felt someone was suddenly speaking with the voice of an arch-angel, or perhaps you felt like they or you were elevated into Heaven for a moment?
One of the most interesting things about Joseph Smith is that he had an absolutely fascinating ability of helping those around him see visions and have spiritual experiences that just can’t be easily explained. The 3 and 8 witnesses are one example of this.
Lorenzo snow speaks about how we can have our own spiritual experiences, and he mentions that Joseph Smith opened up a channel for us to do so. From page 273 in the last section:
What is the nature of our testimony? It is this: That this is the dispensation of the fulness of times; that the angel that John the Revelator saw flying through the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred and tongue and people—that that angel has made his appearance and restored the Gospel to the earth, Joseph Smith being the instrument through which the restoration was effected.
Joseph Smith affirmed that Peter, James and John visited him, and conferred on him authority to administer the holy ordinances of the Gospel through which every honest-hearted man and woman were promised the Holy Ghost, and a perfect knowledge of the doctrine
Joseph Smith was authorized to open up a channel and lay down a plan through which man could receive a knowledge of these things, so that we might not be left to depend upon the testimony of the Prophets, or the testimony of the ancient Apostles, or to the testimony of the Apostles of the present day, or to the Book of Mormon, or to anything that was done or said in the past, but that we might know for ourselves. It is an individual knowledge.
One interesting thing to note is that the first and third paragraph actually are supposed to flow together. If you look at the original sermon by Lorenzo Snow in the Deseret News, the first and third paragraph are actually right after each other in the same paragraph. To me, this is helpful because I was wondering what Lorenzo snow meant by “these things” when he says a channel was opened up to help us know “these things”. So, I think that when he says “these things” he means the restoration of the gospel, which manes Lorenzo snow is saying that Joseph Smith opened up a channel for us to gain a testimony of the restoration.
What, then, is the channel that Joseph opened for us to gain a testimony?
I don’t think he opened up a channel, per say, as much as he opened up the knowledge that a channel exists. He revealed the knowledge that the heavens are open, that personal revelation is possible. He preached that we can each gain our own testimony, which was radically different from most teachings of his time and our time as well.
Testimony of polygamy is a wonderful example of how Joseph encouraged others to do this. There are some new pages on the gospel topics section of LDS.org. There is a short page about Plural Marriage, and there is an interesting paragraph that describes the difficulty Joseph Smith and the people around him had with plural marriage:
After God revealed the doctrine of plural marriage to Joseph Smith in 1831 and commanded him to live it, the Prophet, over a period of years, cautiously taught the doctrine to some close associates. Eventually, he and a small number of Church leaders entered into plural marriages in the early years of the Church. Those who practiced plural marriage at that time, both male and female, experienced a significant trial of their faith. The practice was so foreign to them that they needed and received personal inspiration from God to help them obey the commandment.
This is fascinating to me. If Joseph Smith could persuade people to follow him into something as crazy as polygamy, this tells me that he was either one of the most persuasive and charismatic people to ever walk the earth, or the spirit of God touched people’s hearts to convince them that Joseph was a prophet worth following. Either scenario is fascinating. I choose to believe the latter. Thoughts?
So while the very idea of polygamy can be a trial of faith for some members nowadays, I think that one way for it to be faith-promoting is to look at the testimony of some of the very first saints in Joseph’s inner circle who practiced it. It seems that in most instances, Joseph encouraged those he approached about polygamy to seek out their own testimony. Just as we read from the manual earlier that “Joseph Smith was authorized to open up a channel and lay down a plan through which man could receive a knowledge of these things”, many early saints have great stories about receiving a testimony about polygamy.
Joseph had the most implicit confidence in my husband’s uprightness and integrity of character, and so he confided to him the principles set forth in that revelation, and also gave him the privilege of reading and making a copy of it, believing it would be perfectly safe with him… My husband revealed these things to me. We had always been united, and had the utmost faith and confidence in each other. We pondered upon the matter continually, and our prayers were unceasing that the Lord would grant us some special manifestation concerning this new and strange doctrine. The Lord was very merciful to us; He revealed unto us His power and glory. We were seemingly wrapt in a heavenly vision, a halo of light encircled us, and we were convinced in our own bosoms that God heard and approved our prayers and intercedings before him. Our hearts were comforted and our faith made so perfect that we were willing to give our eldest daughter, then seventeen years of age, to Joseph, in the order of plural marriage. Laying aside all our traditions and former notions in regard to marriage, we gave her with our mutual consent.
[Edward Tullidge, The Women of Mormondom. New York City: n.p., 1877, 368-69; Elizabeth Ann Whitney, “A Leaf from an Autoibiography,” Woman’s Exponent, December 15, 1878, vol. 7, no. 14, 105; see also Carol Cornwall Madsen, ed., In Their Own Words: Women and the Story of Nauvoo. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994, 202.]
End with testimony.
